Each month, we highlight news stories and opinion pieces related to the Natural Resources Council of Maine’s work to protect Maine’s air, land, water, and wildlife.
June 2024
The Bangor Daily News wrote an in-depth story about the four dams on the Kennebec River from Waterville to Skowhegan that are blocking spawning grounds for the endangered Atlantic salmon. This story included mentions of NRCM and our work to reunite the Kennebec.
Read this Portland Press Herald op-ed by Steve Heinz of the Maine Council of Trout Unlimited in support of removal of four dams on the Kennebec River.
This is the time of year when you can see thousands of alewives traveling up rivers to their spawning grounds. Watch this News Center Maine story about the alewives returning in incredible numbers to Maine rivers.
May 2024
“It is heartening to see nature accelerate in response to river restoration efforts. The Kennebec is shouting that it could be a paradise again.” Dr. John Waldman, author of Running Silver: Restoring Atlantic Rivers and Their Great Fish Migrations, writes on the urgency to reunite the Kennebec in today’s New York Times.
The first of the two Federal Energy Regulatory Commission hearings about the licenses for dams on the Kennebec River took place in Waterville on May 21. Read a recap of the testimony, including from NRCM Staff Scientist Nick Bennett and former staffer Todd Martin. The second hearing was held in Augusta on May 22. Read more about that hearing in the Kennebec Journal.
Learn about two hearings coming up later this month in front of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) about the Kennebec River and protecting the endangered Atlantic salmon in the river. And then sign our petition in support of reuniting the Kennebec River.
NRCM Climate & Clean Energy Director Jack Shapiro spoke with The Republican Journal about the opportunities Maine has to bring offshore wind power and good-paying jobs to our state.
Have you visited Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument? If not, we encourage you to make plans to visit this summer and be sure to stop at the new National Park Service visitor center at the summit of Lookout Mountain. This center “shares the Wabanaki story of the land and people through intricate artisan details like hand-created clay tiles.” Read more in this Bangor Daily News story, and then begin planning your trip.
Speaking of the National Monument, Maine’s US Senator Angus King reintroduced legislation this month that would allow the National Park Service to acquire land from donors and sellers willing to sell or donate their land in order to expand Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument. Learn more from the Bangor Daily News.
April 2024
On April 20, the Aveda Institute of Maine hosted their annual “Trashion Show,” featuring fashions created by their students. All fashions are created out of recycled materials (including trash fished out of a local marsh for one outfit!). All funds raised are donated to NRCM for our work — and this year, that was $7,500! Thank you Aveda Institute! WABI-TV and News Center Maine shared stories about this event, including speaking with NRCM Communications Manager Beth Comeau.
NRCM’s Josh Caldwell spoke with WGME-TV about the $30 million trails bond passed by the Legislature in the final days of the 2024 session.
NRCM Staff Scientist Nick Bennett was quoted in this Maine Public story about the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Environmental Impact Statement related to four dams on the Kennebec River. Nick says, “This scheme that FERC has come up with has not worked on any other dam, on any other river system, anywhere. And there’s no reasonable expectation that it would work here.” Read the full story here.
On the last day of the 2024 legislative session, the House and Senate passed a bill that will help move ahead with an offshore wind port at Sears Island in Maine’s midcoast. The Portland Press Herald spoke with NRCM Climate & Clean Energy Director Jack Shapiro and others about what this will mean for Maine meeting its climate goals.
On April 16, the Maine Legislature voted in support of LD 1156, the Maine Trails Bond! This was a high-priority issue for NRCM in 2023 and 2024, along with more than 520 Maine towns, local and statewide organizations, and ATV and snowmobile clubs. Read our news release. And read more in this Maine Public story.
NRCM Federal Policy Advocate Anya Fetcher is quoted in this news story about reinstated protections of the Endangered Species Act: great news for endangered wildlife, including those trying to adapt to changes brought about by climate change.
Boston news station WCVB re-ran a piece about the renewal of Augusta after the removal of the Edwards Dam 25 years ago. The Natural Resources Council of Maine and NRCM Senior Advocacy Director Pete Didisheim are featured in this story.
Rockland unveiled Maine’s newest high-speed electric vehicle charging station this month, with funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act.
The Maine Trails Bond received unanimous support from the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee, which means it now heads to the House and Senate for votes. This $30 million bond would provide funding for development and maintenance of trails for non-motorized and motorized activities. Learn more about the Trails Bond.
NRCM Staff Scientist Nick Bennett, who helped get Maine’s mining law, the strictest in the country, passed in 2017, is quoted in this Portland Press Herald article about his testimony on LD 1471, a bill to adopt provisional mining rules. You can read Nick’s full testimony on this bill here.
